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Beginner’s spanish

For those of you that read my previous posts you’ll see that I am planning to use Memrise and Duolingo together. Duolingo I plan to use mainly for the assistance it will offer with grammar. Below I explain exactly why I chose Duolingo:

1.It Covers All Necessary Topics (for free!)

Many online learning resources offer various beginner level resources but aren’t comprehensive. Duolingo starts from complete basics but also progresses to high level Spanish by the end of the course. Many have suggested that using Duolingo alone can lead to the learner reaching University level ability with languages. Furthermore, while other language learning resources will charge you for this Duolingo is free forever!

2. It’s Fun!

Statistics show that the most common reason for language learners to stop or slow their progress is a lack of motivation. Duolingo saw this problem and offered a brilliant solution gamified learning. Duolingo has a points system set up which allows learners to compete with each other over different lengths of time to have earned the most XP by completing and reviewing lessons. On top of this the site offers learners “Lingots” as a form of currency on the site for completing lessons and various streaks. Lingots can be used to buy a variety of power-ups and bonuses.

3. It Encourages Immersion

Immersion is widely believed to be the most effective way of learning a language. Immersion means surrounding yourself by the language whether that be by listening to music in that language or watching your favorite TV show in that language or reading the language. Duolingo offers the opportunity to translate thousands of real online articles into the language you are learning. As this can be tailored to individual interests it ensures learners see vocabulary and grammar in a context they would otherwise read.

I hope you agree with me on these issues and feel motivated to try out Duolingo! If you have any other positives of Duolingo or negatives for that matter please let me know in the comments!

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Before embarking on this journey to Spanish proficiency I spent a long time researching the best options available to help me learn the language for free but also most effectively. I plan to use a variety of websites and online material as well as optimising my learning by using some traditional language learning resources.

Principally, I will be making the most of the free language learning services Duolingo and Memrise. Both sites have free courses for learning Spanish with Duolingo focusing more on the grammar side of things and Memrise the vocabulary. Both are sites which have “gamified” learning and reward users with points in order to encourage their continued learning as well as offering leaderboards to create a bit of competition. A good balance of what both sites offer should give us a good start in beginners Spanish very quickly.

On top of using these sites I’ll be publishing verb tables to help with our conjugations and a variety of materials whether it be a Spanish song, film, article or just an explanation of a grammar rule. All evidence suggests that immersion aids in developing language skills so these resources should be very helpful.

Articles will follow with more in depth information about Duolingo and Memrise.

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I feel as if it would be wrong to start this whole process without an explanation. I’ve always wanted to learn a second language, in particular Spanish. Recently, this urge has been getting stronger and stronger so I’ve decided to act on it and start learning!

Whilst doing some research I came across some information which suggested that people learn better when they are learning with others. Building on this information I did some investigating into the best resources I could use to learn Spanish entirely free. I believe I’ve found a good mix of websites that help you to learn languages and traditional resources.

I hope over the coming months and years to write about my experience learning the language and encourage you to join me on my journey. My plan is to post daily with a mixture of my progress learning the language and a different useful, free resources to help you learn Spanish with me.

As I am a complete beginner I hope to attract a variety of followers- language learning experts to help us with advice and novices alike to share their experiences. I encourage you to get in touch and participate as much as possible as I reckon we can help each other!